From Ronnie Houston (son of David L Houston) in 2020
David Lockhart Houston 1898-1972 started the company of Houston Brothers, carriers, in 1922. His brother John Houston joined in 1924 until 1932.
David then became a sole trader.
Brother Alex Houston was never a partner. Alex left Houston Brothers in 1956 to form Alex Houston & Sons with his sons Alex and Blair.
They kept their lorries at Borland Farm from early 1930s. They were at Rigg Farm during the war and eventually in the Tanyard.
The large extended family would come down from Glasgow at weekends to stay in the large farmhouse at Borland.
Houston Brothers became a limited company in 1976. Houston Brothers Limited was sold to McCall and Greenshields, Kilmarnock in 1978.
From Anne Griffiths (Cowan)
I worked in Houston Brothers office in the mid 1950s.
David and Alex Houston were partners and Mrs David Houston, Sheena Taylor, Anne Cowan were the office staff, augmented by Jim Waddell at that time.

Houston Bros was a haulage company who had the contract to collect the milk cans from the various farms in the district and taking them to the various creameries as well as collecting and delivering goods from Glasgow and district.
The premises was large and within it was an old double decker bus which was used as storage and extra office space. Maintenance was carried out by their own mechanical staff under Chas Wayman and then Bill Stewart. Sam Findlay was also part of that team.

Drivers included Henry Priest who drove the box van to Glasgow and went round the various companies and pick-up points within the city. At that time fewer companies had their own delivery vans. Broomielaw and Howard Street are two of the depots that come to mind.
Other drivers; Jimmy Graham, John Young, Wilf Shinkfield, John Pyper, Alex Lees, Alex Smith, Hugh Lorimer, Alex Capstick and George Linden. Young lads Jim Quinn and Jim Bell.


Transport was changing at that time and Alex Houston decided that long haul transport was the way forward and he left and set up the company Alex Houston & Sons taking products from the steelworks at Motherwell etc.
Cumnock had quite a few haulage companies at that time,
- D Clark, Barrhill Road where Thomson’s garage is (one of the daughter’s married Cliff Handley, writer and performer)
- Bairds, Hamilton Place, where new road cuts through
- Anderson Brothers, Black Bull Close. Their business was mostly agriculture related.
From Ron Sharpe

David Houston on the left and Alex Houston on the right. Photo taken outside Borland Farm where the original yard was located. Alan went on to work at Massey Ferguson for many years and continued to live in Cumnock. Alex started Alex Houston and Sons in the early fifties and traded out of Waterside Place firstly then moved up to the Rigg Road garage.